What I Am Thankful For In Sports

There are clearly a lot of things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day: your family, your friends, the men and women who fight to protect this country, twitter, and obviously sports. While most Americans associate Thanksgiving with turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, my Thanksgiving is dominated by football, even if the Lions and Cowboys, who have both hosted Thanksgiving Day games every year since 1978, have only won a combined 3 division titles in the last 15 years. With a feast of games on Turkey day (pun intended) including three big NFL matchups (Texans-Lions, Redskins-Cowboys, Patriots-Jets) and a newly installed college football in-state rivalry (TCU-#16 Texas), the Thanksgiving Day action should fill the bellies of hungry football fans (last pun, I promise). Here is what I am thankful for in sports on this 391st Thanksgiving Day.

Despite the fact that the LA Kings championship run as an eight seed was incredible to watch last year, I am thankful for the NHL lockout because now America doesn't have to pretend that we actually care about hockey. For the National Hockey League to be locked out for the 3rd time since 1994 and the 2nd time in the last 8 years is an absolute disgrace. I would advise Gary Bettman, who has dealt with more labor stoppages since he became NHL Commissioner in 1993 than ever imaginable, to not travel to Canada anytime in the near future.

I am thankful that Chelsea fired Roberto Di Matteo because at this rate, I have a chance to become the Blues manager. The European Champions, who fired Di Matteo a little more than six months after he completed the FA Cup and Champions League double, have had more managers since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 than Egypt have had Presidents. The London club have now had 9 different managers in a six year span since September of 2007 (Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Ray Wilkins, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre-Villas Boas, Roberto Di Matteo, and Rafa Benitez). In fact, neither one of their last two managers, Andre-Villas Boas or Roberto Di Matteo, lasted 10 months with the job. Good luck to Rafa Benitez because looking at Chelsea's past managerial history, come a year from now, he will likely be watching the Chelsea games from his couch like the rest of us.

I am thankful for Cleveland sports teams because whenever I am feeling down in the dumps about the Red Sox, I remember that it could be worse: I could be a Cleveland sports fan. The Browns have made the playoffs just twice in the last 23 years, while the Indians and Cavaliers have lost superstars left and right including CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, and some guy named LeBron James. Cleveland sports teams are like a sequel to a bad movie; you think that they might improve, but they just wind up terrible once again.

I am thankful that J.J. Watt is a pro football player because he is much too talented and way too hard of a worker to be delivering pizzas in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Watt, who I kid you not, worked for pizza hut after he dropped out of school because he no longer wanted to play tight end for Central Michigan, is now one of the most dominant defensive ends in the NFL, and he is the front-runner to win the Defensive Player Of The Year Award at the mid-season mark. The former Wisconsin standout (he transferred to the Big Ten school in 2008 and played 2 years there) deflects more balls at the line of scrimmage than anybody else in the NFL and his 13.5 sacks are 2nd most in the league, only behind San Francisco's Aldon Smith (15).

I am thankful that Novak Djokvoic is the world's number 1 ranked tennis player. While I enjoy watching the Serbian's mastery on the court, it is a nice bonus that his girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, is a spectacle to see on her own. Since Ristic is shown on TV more than Rob Ryan during the Cowboys games, it is undeniable that Djokovic brings the total package to his matches. But in all seriousness, Djokvoic deserves a lot of credit for reclaiming the number 1 ranking from Roger Federer and winning the year end ATP World Tour Finals.

As hard as this is for me to say, I am actually thankful that #1 Notre Dame is undefeated because outside of Gainesville nobody wants to see #4 Florida in the BCS National Championship Game. The Gators, whose offense has looked so anemic this year that you wonder how they have only lost one game, would likely wind up in the National Championship if they were to beat #10 Florida St. and Notre Dame were to lose to USC. This Florida team, which at home needed two touchdowns in the last two minutes to beat Louisiana-Lafayette, would not be able to score against any of the top college football teams.

I am thankful that Andrew Bynum's hair is one of the main talking points of the early NBA season; now if only the big 7 footer could get onto the floor for the 76ers. Although Bynum should have a nice role in Doug Collins's offense, the injury prone center is still suffering from right and left knee setbacks, which could keep him out until January. Hopefully, Bynum can return to action for Philadelphia shortly, because then people can start talking about Bynum and basketball, along with his hair of course.

Andrew Bynum then

Andrew Bynum now

But enough about me already. What are other people in sports thankful for?

Toronto Blue Jays fans are thankful for their new best friend, Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. After Loria decided that he was fed up with the Marlins large payroll, his fire sale saw the team's two best pitchers (Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle) and star shortstop (Jose Reyes) head north of the border to Toronto. Now that the Marlins shed nearly 150 million dollars in the mega-trade and their opening day payroll is currently projected at less than 40 million (in comparison the Padres and A's are arond 55 million) it is evident that Loria cares less about his team than a male audience cares about the new Twilight movie.

Washington Redskin fans are thankful that they now have a real quarterback with Robert Griffin III. Nothing against Jason Campbell, Tood Collins, Rex Grossman, and John Beck, but the Skins haven't had a real quality quarterback since the Stone Age. Ok, more like Joe Theismann in the 1980's but it feels like forever. Not only is RGIII the most dynamic quarterback to ever play in the NFL, but his Heisman Trophy socks were beyond awesome. In any case, Washington should be thankful for their rookie sensation.

Although the Luck vs RGIII debate will rage on for years, we can all agree that Griffin trumps Luck in the sock department.

Finally, Tim Tebow is thankful for God, but who didn't know that one already.

Under the Radar College Basketball Teams To Watch

It doesn't take a brain surgeon or an ESPN expert to predict most of the top college basketball teams by the end of the season. As evidenced by the last few years, most, if not all of the teams that are ranked inside the preseason top 15, remain a legitimate National Championship contender throughout the college basketball campaign. Last season, all the Elite Eight teams were ranked in the preseason top 13 (North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio St., Syracuse, Florida, Louisville, Baylor, and Kansas) and Pittsburgh, UCLA, Arizona, and Texas A&M were the only preseason top 25 teams that failed to make the Big Dance.

Although the top teams at the onset of the season are almost always in contention to make a run at the title, there are always a few teams that fly under the radar and surprise everybody during March Madness. While the common examples of the shocking NCAA tourney runs include George Mason in 2006 and VCU in 2011, there are often teams from major conferences that aren't expected to have a great season and perform well above expectations. Last year two Big East teams, Marquette and Cincinnati, were not expected to be one of the top five teams in their own league, but both made runs to the Sweet Sixteen. Xavier and North Carolina St., despite both finishing their respective seasons with 12 losses, also made surprising trips to the Regional Semifinals as double digit seeds.

In opposition to how the BCS and chaos go hand in hand, you can expect the same stability at the top of college basketball once again this year, as top clubs like Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, Duke, and Florida should all wind-up with top seeds in the tournament. However, as always, you can expect a bevy of overlooked teams to fare far better than expected.

Oklahoma St. Cowboys:

Since Eddie Sutton resigned as head coach of Oklahoma St. due to his alcohol related medical issues, the Cowboys have not been relevant in college basketball. The program, which has a storied tradition that goes back to the days of coaching legend Henry Iba, have been waiting to restore themselves in the increasingly friendly Big 12, especially with the departure of Missouri and Texas A&M. Despite getting just a handful of votes in the preseason polls, the Cowboys should be in contention for their second Big 12 title since they joined the conference 16 years ago in 1996.

The job that Cowboys head coach Travis Ford has done in recruiting has given the fans in Stillwater their biggest hope for a successful season since they reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2005. Ford, who played in college at Missouri and then Kentucky, has been able to lure two straight top ten recruits down to Stillwater. Two years ago, small forward Le'Bryan Nash, who was rated #10 by the ESPN recruiting rankings, picked Oklahoma St. over Kansas and Baylor. Last year, shooting guard Marcus Smart, who like Nash was rated #10 by ESPN, picked Oklahoma St. over Oklahoma and Texas. The combination of Nash and Smart has proved to be lethal in the early season for the Cowboys.

Le'Bryan Nash, who shared Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors with Baylor's Quincy Miller last year, is one of the most athletic players in the country and is a big time scorer, especially when he can get into the lane. Nash is complimented by the all around game of Marcus Smart. Not only is Smart a terrific shooter, but he can also see the floor exceptionally well. The two playmakers have combined for an average of nearly 34 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists through the team's first four wins over UC Davis, Akron, Tennessee, and North Carolina State.

Anybody who watched Oklahoma St. manhandle #6 NCST in the Puerto Rico Tipoff Final saw the threat that the Cowboys pose to any team they play. Nash and Smart are two of the best players in the country and will be the catalysts for the Cowboys very underrated squad all season long.

Maryland Terrapins:

In ESPN The Magazine's "College Hoops Tip-Off" issue, the Maryland Terps preseason ranking was 111th overall, which slotted them behind schools like North Dakota State, Middle Tennessee, Wagner, and Tennessee State. The same magazine projected Maryland to finish 9th in the ACC, only ahead of Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Boston College. Despite losing their top two scorers, Terrell Stoglin and Sean Mosley, the Terps will far exceed their low preseason expectations.

Not only does Maryland have a consistent distributor at point guard with Pe'Shon Howard, who is averaging nearly 8 assists through the team's first four games, but the Terps also have one of the best players in the country that very few people have even heard about. Alex Len, a 7-1 center from Ukraine, is a dominant force in the post for the Terps and he is already showing dramatic improvements from last season. The future NBA lottery pick is one of the most skilled big men in the country and he showed in his performance against #3 Kentucky, where he had 23 points and 12 rebounds in a tight 3-point Maryland loss, that he is dealing with the physicality of playing down low much better than he did last year.

The NCAA's decision to grant former Xavier small forward Dezmine Wells immediate eligibility has been a huge bonus for Mark Turgeon and his team. Wells, who was a top 50 ESPN recruit last year and has immense potential, can do everything on the floor and provides a toughness that Maryland has lacked the past couple of years. Wells, along with talented shooting guards Nick Faust and Seth Allen and highly touted freshmen Jake Layman and Shaquille Cleare, will be the key components for a Maryland team that failed to make the tourney last season.

If the Terps can get some solid contributions from their supporting cast, they have a great chance of rounding out the top 4 of the ACC behind the highly ranked Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, and North Carolina State Wolfpack.

Pittsburgh Panthers:

Pitt has been a mainstay at the top of college basketball and the Big East ever since Jamie Dixon took over the program in 2003. In his first 8 years as head coach of the Panthers, Dixon led the team to at least 24 wins every season except for 2004, and the club reached the Big East tournament championship game four times. Dixon's incredible record of 214-58 in his first eight years as the program's head coach, is evidence of Pitt's ascension to the top of college basketball.

Despite being a preseason top 10 team in 2011, the Panthers had a very uncharacteristic season last year, as they finished 5-13 in the Big East, their worst conference record since 1999. Although the Panthers were unranked in the preseason polls following their disappointing 2011 campaign, Pitt should return to their dominant Big East ways this season.

While Pittsburgh will miss the three point shooting of point guard Ashton Gibbs, who led the team in scoring the last three seasons, Tray Woodall now has the opportunity to run the show for the Panthers. Woodall is a very unselfish guard and when he does decide to pull up, he is a very effective mid-range and three point shooter. Along with Woodall, veteran big men Talib Zanna and J.J. Moore will provide consistent scoring for the Panthers.

So many people, like myself, are looking at Pittsburgh as a surprise club this season due their key additions of Trey Zeigler and Steven Adams, who should fit nicely with the other veteran pieces on the team. Zeigler, who played at Central Michigan last year and averaged 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds, chose to transfer to Pitt rather than Duke or UCLA and was granted an NCAA waiver to play right away because his dad was fired as head coach of the Chippewas in March. Although Zeigler is still fitting in with the Panthers and could improve his jump shot, he is one of the most versatile guards in the country. Adams, who was the #6 overall recruit in this year's class according to ESPN, is a big seven foot body and can rebound with the best in the country. Although it may be a little early to expect Adams to shine offensively, he will be a big presence on the defensive side of the floor for the Panthers, especially with his ability to block shots.

The Jets Should Start Tim Tebow

Timothy Richard Tebow. Just uttering the name of the former Heisman Trophy winner steers up controversy, emotions, and heated arguments amongst fans and naysayers. Never in the history of the NFL has a backup quarterback, who has completed just 5 passes through the first 10 weeks of the season, been the talk of every radio show and television newscast in the country. Mark Sanchez has had to answer more questions about Tim Tebow than anybody could have imagined when Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum traded for the polarizing QB from the Broncos back in March.

Although Rex Ryan continues to say Tebow will have an expanded role in the Jets offense, week after week Tebow is only on the field for a few snaps each game. With the Jets sitting in a 3-6 hole and in grave danger of being out of playoff contention with 5 or 6 games left in the season, it is time they turn the ball over to Tebow. Not only does the two-time college National Champion give the Jets a wide range of play choices with his dynamic ability to both pass and run, but Mark Sanchez has played so poorly the last couple of weeks that the Jets absolutely need a change behind center.

The struggles of Mark Sanchez, especially in the last two Jet losses, is the main reason gang green need to make a change at quarterback. If the Jets do in fact make a switch behind center, it would be more about Mark Sanchez losing his role due to his poor play rather than Tim Tebow taking over the quarterback job.

There have been glimpses this season where we have seen an effective Mark Sanchez, specifically in the Jets 29-26 overtime loss to the Patriots in Foxboro. Although the Pats secondary does rank dead last in the AFC in passing yards allowed per game and has been getting torched all season, Sanchez looked in rhythm with his receivers and was throwing the ball on time all game long.

However, moments of promise have been few and far between for Sanchez and the team's offense. Aside from the Patriots game, the Jets passing attack has been extremely lackluster. No team in the NFL fears gang green's air attack whatsoever, as only the Jacksonville Jaguars have thrown for less yards in the AFC than the Jets. Sanchez is also the only NFL starting quarterback to have thrown for less than 140 yards in more than two games this season, as he failed to eclipse the 140 yard mark in games against the Steelers, 49ers, Colts, and Seahawks. Not only has Sanchez held on to the ball for too long in the pocket, which has resulted in sacks and turnovers, but the former USC quarterback's accuracy has also failed him, as he ranks dead last in the league with a 52 percent completion percentage.

As a duel threat quarterback, Tebow can bring unique qualities to the Jets that the inept offense has been lacking all season long. Although Mark Sanchez is mobile in the pocket and can move around to evade sacks, Tebow can extend plays like no other quarterback in the NFL, which would allow the Jets poor receiving core more time to create separation down the field. Tebow's running ability would also prove to be a weapon for the Jets rushing attack, which is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry through nine games. With defenses keying on Tebow's running prowess and stacking the box, it would leave openings in the secondary for the Jets much-maligned receivers as well.

Obviously, Tebow has his limitations as a passer. Although his ability to throw the deep ball is very underrated, his accuracy is a source of concern. However, Tebow would bring something different to a Jets offense in need of a change, as the offensive attack has sputtered all season long.

While Mark Sanchez deserves the lion's share of the blame for the Jets 3-6 start, there have been a multitude of failures for the Jets not only on the field, but in management as well as in the front office.

Frankly, the Jets just don't have the talent that was there when they reached the AFC Championship game in back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010. While the Jets "ground and pound" style was in the top four of the NFL in both of their playoff years, only four other AFC teams have rushed for fewer yards per carry than the Jets this season. While Thomas Jones and LaDainian Tomlinson were proven running backs, Shonn Greene is nowhere near a top flight NFL back. The Jets also have limited talent and big play ability with their wide receivers. Whereas in 2010 gan green had Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, and Brad Smith at their receiver positions, with Holmes out for the season this year, the Jets receiving core of Stephen Hill, Chaz Schilens, Jeremy Kerley, and Clyde Gates is almost laughable to think about. Although Stephen Hill, who the Jets drafted in the second round from Georgia Tech, has electrifying speed, he has dropped far too many passes in his rookie campaign.

The Jets coaching staff has also miss managed their use of Tebow in their "wildcat" package. The former Florida QB has not had nearly enough snaps to make the plays that he is capable of making, as the Jets continue to use their dynamic playmaker for just seven snaps per game. Also, when Jets offensive coordinator Tony Sparano does use Tebow behind center, he is way too conservative with his play selection. Rather than let Tebow sit in the pocket and observe the field and allow him to make plays, Sparano continues to have Tebow fake the ball to the running back and run it straight up the gut, which every defense player is expecting, for three or four yards.

If Jets owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum brought Tebow in to be a factor rather than to sell hot dogs, PSL's, and make the back pages of the news, than why has Tebow's role been so small in the offense? Also, if Tebow is going to be rarely used, why bring him into the fold and create a tremendous amount of pressure on Mark Sanchez?

If the Jets fail to beat the St. Louis Rams this week, their season will essentially be all but over and considering how poorly Sanchez has played in the Jets last two losses to the Dolphins and Seahawks, gang green need to turn to Tebow. With the Jets three games out in the AFC East as well as three games behind the Steelers and Colts in the AFC Wild Card, it is now or never for New York.

The Most Surprising Teams In College Football

We are just past the mid-way point of the college football season and several teams have performed just as well as people thought they would at the beginning of the season, most notably Alabama and Oregon. While a handful of teams have been really disappointing such as Arkansas, Michigan St., and Virginia Tech, there have also been a couple of surprise teams, specifically undefeated Oregon St. and Mississippi St. and Big 12 darling Texas Tech.

#7 Oregon St. - 6-0 (4-0 in the Pac-12):

Before the college football season began, most people assumed that a team from Oregon would be heading into the last week of October unbeaten. While Oregon have cruised through their first 7 games without a blemish on their record, their rivals just up north in Corvallis have also shocked the college football world with a 6-0 start. Although the Beavers still have to get by Washington, Arizona St. #17 Stanford, and California, there is a definite possibility that the winner of the Civil War game in Eugene will move on to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game and possibly even the BCS title game.

The impressive play of Oregon St. has been such a surprise to the country because of how poorly the team played last season. Mike Riley's club finished the 2011 season with a woeful 3-9 record, which included an embarrassing loss at home to FCS school Sacramento Sate in non-conference play. However, Sean Mannion looks greatly improved behind center in his second year as the teams starting quarterback and the Beavers defensive unit has not let up more than 7 points at home this season.

The Beavers have had really good quarterback play from both their starter Sean Mannion and their backup Cody Vaz. Mannion began the season by throwing a touchdown in each of the team's first 4 games and had a 379 yard performance in a win on the road against UCLA and a 433 yard game against Arizona in Tucson. When Mannion was sidelined for two games due to a knee injury, Cody Vaz stepped in and the offense didn't miss a beat. Vaz threw for 323 yards and added 3 touchdowns in a 42-24 rout over BYU, a team that has held four of its eight opponents to seven points or less.

#11 Mississippi State Bulldogs - 7-0 (3-0 in the SEC):

Mississippi St. Athletic Director Scott Stricklin better be ready for a nerve-wracking off-season, as the Bulldogs head coach, Dan Mullen, is going to be one of the most desirable names in all of college football. Mullen, who was the offensive coordinator at Florida from 2005 to 2008, has led Mississippi St. to a very surprising 7-0 start, especially considering the team was 2-6 in conference play last season and lost their starting quarterback Chris Relf and star running back Vick Ballard.

Although the Dwags offense has been better than expected, the team's calling card is their stout defense. The Bulldogs may have the best defensive backfield in the country, as Johnthan Banks and Darius Slay are two of the nations best cornerbacks. Banks and Slay, who are tied for the 4th in the FBS with 4 interceptions, are apart of a Bulldogs secondary that has held five of their seven opponents to less than 175 yards passing.

Despite starting out the season 7-0 for just the second time in school history, and playing in the vaunted Southeastern Conference, the Mississippi St. Bulldogs are ranked outside the top 10 and many people consider them the 4th best team in their own 7 team SEC division. Aside from college football phonetics, not many people even know that the Bulldogs are one of the few remaining unbeaten teams. A large reason for their lack of national attention has been the Bulldogs lack of a major win, as the club's 4 non-conference victories (Jackson St., South Alabama, Troy, Middle Tennessee) are obviously nothing to brag about, and their 3 SEC wins are against teams who have yet to win a conference game (Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee). Although they have had a fairly easy schedule through mid-October, the Bulldogs have still only allowed more than 14 points in two of their seven contests and they have won by double-digits in every one of their 7 victories. Dan Mullen's squad will have a chance to prove themselves in their next 3 games, as they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on #1 Alabama this weekend, then return to Starkville to play #20 Texas A&M, and then finally travel to Death Valley to play #6 LSU in early November.

#14 Texas Tech Red Raiders - 6-1 (3-1 in the Big 12):

In Tommy Tuberville's second season in Lubbock, Texas Tech had its worse year since it became a member of the Big 12. The Red Raiders didn't appear in a bowl game for the first time since Spike Dykes's last year as the school's head coach in 1999 and the team lost 7 games for the first team in over two decades since 1990. TTU also finished with just 2 conference wins, their fewest league wins since they joined the Big 12 in 1996. However, Tuberville's ball club has drastically turned things around this year, as the team's offense is one of the most explosive attacks in the country and has propelled the Red Raiders to an impressive start including two Big 12 wins against ranked opponents (West Virginia and TCU).

Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege leads one of the most high powered offenses in all of college football. The Red Raiders have scored more than 40 points in five of their seven games and Seth Doege leads the nation with a whopping 28 touchdown passes, which is about 4 per game. The gun slinging quarterback is averaging over 360 yards passing per game as well, which is the 4th most in the FBS. Doege, who threw for 499 yards and 6 touchdowns against West Virginia and 318 yards and 7 touchdowns against TCU, is very well suited to run the Raiders fast paced spread attack. The senior QB completes a high percentage of his passes (70.8 percent, which is 5th best in the nation) and isn't overly turnover prone, as he is averaging just 1 pick for every 40 passing attempts.

Although the Texas Tech offense will get most of the praise and accolades for the program's strong start, the improvement of the team's defense has been the biggest change from last year's disappointment. The Tech defense shut down Geno Smith and the dangerous West Virginia passing game in their 49-14 victory over the Mountaineers two weeks ago and are allowing just over 21 points per game, which is very solid considering their offense can put up so many points.

College Football Storylines Through The First 4 Weeks Of The Season

Due to the wackiness of the NFL because of the poor officiating of the replacement referees, the opening month of the college football season has flown a little bit under the radar. The countywide initiative to bring back the regular NFL refs has overshadowed an exciting opening four weeks of football across the FBS. Here are the biggest storylines in college football entering week 5 of the season:

#1 Alabama Is The Clear Cut Number 1 Team In The Nation:

Despite losing five defensive All-Americans, (linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw, cornerbacks Dre Kirkpatrick and DeQuan Menzie, and safety Mark Barron) four of which were selected in the top 35 of the NFL draft, the Alabama defense is once again revamped and reloaded with their outstanding talent and speed. Led by their strong linebackers Nico Johnson and C.J. Mosley, the Crimson Tide are replacing Penn St. as linebacker U, as their base 3-4 defensive scheme allows their linebackers to roam around the field and make big plays. The Tide's secondary has also looked much better than expected in their first four games. Dee Milliner has played very well for the defending National Champions, as the defensive back is providing a shutdown corner for the Crimson Tide. In four games this season, Alabama has allowed a total of 21 points and they have forced at least 3 turnovers in three of their four victories. The Tide's most impressive defensive performance was their mauling of Michigan in the opening week of the season, as they made Denard Robinson look like a shell of himself and held him to 27 rushing yards, his second lowest rushing total since he took over the starting job as a sophomore in 2010.

Although Nick Saban's defense is getting a lot of love, and deservingly so, the Tide's offense, much like last year, is steadily pacing the team's play. Despite the loss of Heisman Trophy finalist Trent Richardson, the Tide have had no trouble running the ball with their terrific offensive line and their running back tandem of powerful Eddie Lacy and freshman speedster T.J. Yeldon. Alabama's running back duo has been a great compliment to the consistent play of quarterback AJ McCarron, who has yet to throw an interception in four contests.

Although Alabama still have their big matchup with SEC west rival #3 LSU in Baton Rouge in early November, the Tide have a really good chance to become the first outright back-to-back National Champion since Nebraska pulled off the feat in the mid 1990's.

#2 Oregon and #9 West Virginia Have The Two Most Explosive Offenses In The Country:

Despite losing their starting quarterback Darron Thomas and their all-time leading rusher LaMichael James, Oregon's offense may be better than it was last season. Marcus Mariota, who has replaced Thomas behind center, is one of the fastest quarterbacks in the country and is a perfect fit for Chip Kelly's spread offense. Not only can the illusive Mariota use his feet whenever he gets into trouble, but the true freshman is also a better pure passer than Thomas. In the backfield, Kenjon Barner, who is the Ducks every down back, is as good as any running back in the country. The senior showed his workhorse ability in the Ducks 42-25 win over Fresno St., as he ran for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns on 34 carries. While Barner does a lot of the heavy lifting, De'Anthony Thomas is the Ducks home run hitter, as the electrifying playmaker is a threat to take it to the house anytime he touches the ball. Thomas is averaging more than 11 yards per run, which is the best in the country, and nearly 13 yards per catch, and has taken 7 of his 38 offensive touches (nearly 20 percent) for touchdowns. If Thomas gets into open space, watch out, because the "Black Mamba" can make anybody miss with his unbelievable quickness and speed.

While Oregon's offense is predicated on the run, Dana Holgersen and his West Virginia Mountaineers rack up huge chunks of yards through the air. Led by early season Heisman Trophy front-runner Geno Smith, the Big 12 newcomers have a great chance of winning the conference title in their first year in the league. Smith, who leads the nation in completion percentage and touchdowns, and is second in the country in quarterback rating, has looked very poised in the pocket for the Mountaineers, and has been astoundingly accurate. Smith has a bevy of receivers on the outside of the field and Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are arguably the best wide receiver tandem in the country along with USC's Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. As we saw in the Orange Bowl last year, Tavon Austin can make a play out of anything, and his quickness makes him a very difficult down the field receiving threat to cover. Although it remains to be seen if West Virginia's defense will be able to hold up against high-powered Big 12 attacks, the team's offense will certainly put up a lot of points.

#10 Notre Dame, #11 Florida, #12 Texas, and #14 Ohio St. Are Returning To Prominence:

While programs like Oregon, Oklahoma St., Michigan St., and Boise St. have stated their place amongst the top college football institutions over the past couple of years, longtime football powerhouses like Notre Dame, Florida, Texas, and Ohio St. have really struggled to regain their position amongst the top teams in the country. However, the Irish, Gators, Longhorns, and Buckeyes have all started out the 2012 season without a loss.

Despite having an inexperienced secondary due to the season-ending injuries to cornerback Lo Wood and safeties Austin Collinsworth and Jamoris Slaughter, the key to Notre Dame's 4-0 start has been the solid play of their defensive unit. Notre Dame rank 4th in the country in points against at 9 per game, as the Irish held Michigan St. and Michigan to a total of 9 points, while forcing a combined 7 turnovers in the 2 games. Linebacker Manti Te'o has been so impressive and impactful in the early season for the Irish that his name has even been thrown into the Heisman Trophy ring. Despite the deaths of his girlfriend and grandmother, Te'o, who chose to return to Notre Dame for his senior season, decided to play in the games against Michigan St. and Michigan, and had a combined 20 tackles and 2 interceptions in the victories. Whether it is stopping the run or dropping back into pass coverage, Manti Te'o makes plays all over the field. As crazy as it sounds, Notre Dame is back in the top 10 for the first time in 6 years since 2006.

After a mediocre 7-6 (3-5) first year in Gainesville, Will Muschamp has led the Florida Gators to their first 3-0 start in conference play since they won their first National Championship with Urban Meyer in 2006. A big reason behind the Gators success has been the consistent quarterback play of sophomore starter Jeff Driskel. Although Florida came into their first game without a clear cut number 1 QB, Driskel has taken over the job with his stellar play through the Gators first 4 games. Driskel hasn't made a lot of mistakes, as he has only thrown 1 interception, and he has been very poised and accurate in the pocket, as his completion percentage of 69.6 is the highest for any quarterback in the SEC. Along with his accuracy, Driskel can extend plays and drives with his ability to run for first downs and big yardage. Florida finally have a solid offense to go along with their very dependable defense. However, the road ahead is a very difficult one for the Gators, as they still have to play #3 LSU, #6 South Carolina, #5 Georgia, and #4 Florida St.

Although it has not been publicized as much as some of the other college football struggles, the Texas Longhorns have failed to return to the top of the Big 12 since they reached the National Championship Game in 2009. With a 13-12 record over the last two seasons, the Longhorns 3-0 start is very encouraging, even if their victories have been over Wyoming, New Mexico, and Ole Miss. David Ash has taken full control of the starting quarterback role and the Longhorns offense has looked devastating. Ash, who has the unique skill set of a big arm and the ability to use his legs and run, is complimented by the two-headed running attack of Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron, while High School Player of the Year Johnathan Gray will steadily get more carries as the season progresses. Although five of Texas's nine conference games could be against ranked teams, the Longhorns can definitely contend for a Big 12 title.

After Braxton Miller threw for 207 yards and ran for another 161 against Miami (OH), sliced apart UCF for 141 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns, and hit Devin Smith on a 72 yard pass with 3 minutes left to knock off Cal, Ohio St. head coach Urban Meyer said, "Braxton has more talent [then Tim Tebow]. Tim is probably more of a grinder." While too many people wouldn't go that far (except for maybe Tebow hater Merril Hoge), Miller has shown that he is the perfect quarterback for Urban Meyer's spread system. Braxton is one of the fastest, if not the fastest quarterback in the country, and his speed is such a threat when he is running the option or scrambling around the pocket. Although Ohio St. will not be able to play in the postseason this year due to the NCAA violations that took place under Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes are likely the best team in the Big 10.

The Big Ten Is Off To Another Rough Start:

Ever since Ohio St. was crushed by Florida and LSU in consecutive BCS National Championship Games in 2006 and 2007, the Big Ten has struggled to reclaim its place as the best college football conference along with the always dominate SEC. Last year the Big Ten finished the season with just 3 teams ranked inside the top 20 and their overall conference bowl record was a disappointing 4-6.

The Big Ten is off to another slow start this year, as the league has just 1 win over a ranked opponent (Michigan State's victory over Boise St.) and Ohio St. is the only team from the conference ranked inside the top 20 of the AP poll. In non-conference play, Michigan St. and Michigan both lost to Notre Dame, while UCLA, likely the 5th best team in the Pac-12, knocked off one of the Big Ten favorites, Nebraska. Wisconsin, which has represented the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl the past two years, lost to Oregon St., probably the 4th best team in the Pac-12, and has not looked good in any of its victories. The Badgers have been unable to dominate teams on the ground like they have done in the past, and Maryland transfer Danny O'Brien and freshman Joel Stave have both struggled behind center. Nothing against Minnesota and Northwestern, but when they are the only bowl eligible teams (Ohio St. is not bowl eligible) still undefeated in your conference after 4 weeks, there is a problem.

The Packers Defense Proved A Lot In Their Win Against The Bears

Despite becoming just the 6th team in NFL history to finish the regular season with at least 15 wins, (along with the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 2007 New England Patriots) everything wasn't chocolate and roses for the Green Bay Packers defense. While Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense was praised for their record-shattering season, the team's defense was not anyway near the club's offensive prowess.

It is fair to say that the teams playing the Pack last year were almost always trailing by the second half, so the opposing clubs were forced to throw the ball and match the Packers offense output. Due to the proficiency of the green and gold offense, opposing teams had to expand their offense in order to not get to far behind, and that made life much more difficult for the Packers defense. 

However, with their lethal offense, the Packers defense just had to be in the middle of the road amongst NFL teams, but their defensive unit really struggled to find its form last year.

Although the Packers defensive numbers were a little inflated because teams racked up yards when they were well down in the second half, the green and gold were still dead last in the NFL in defensive yards per game (411.6) and passing yards per game (299.8). 

Not only did the Pack have major trouble in the secondary, but they also had real problems getting to the quarterback. Only the Tennessee Titans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had less sacks than the Packers last year, which sorely missed defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, who went to the Eagles in free agency. Jenkins's absence on the d-line had a direct affect on B.J. Raji as well as Clay Matthews, as they both faced more and more attention and double teams. After combining for 30 sacks in 2010, Matthews and Raji didn't even reach double figures in their combined sack total last year.

While many people, including myself, thought that the Packers were going to be significantly better on defense in 2012, they showed little improvement in their 30-22 week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field.

Although Clay Matthews came back to life with 2.5 sacks and Charles Woodson certainly didn't look like he was in his 15th year in the league, the team's defense still showed major signs of concerns. Picking on cornerbacks Jarret Bush and either M.D. Jennings or Jerron McMillian (whichever one was in the game), Alex Smith completed 20 of 26 passes and had 211 yards and 2 touchdowns. Frank Gore also averaged 7 yards per carry and the 49ers racked up 186 yards on the ground. 

Going into their week 2 game against the Bears with a 0-1 record, the Packers, and specifically their defense, was facing tremendous pressure to put up a big performance, and they did just that against their long time division rival from the Windy City.

In their 23-10 Thursday night victory at Lambeau, the Packers made a loud statement to the league that they could win games behind their defense and without a huge night from their MVP Aaron Rodgers. Although Cedric Benson had a nice game on the ground with 81 yards and Donald Driver reached the end zone in his 14th straight year in the league, the night was all about how good the Packers defense looked against a quality Bears offense.

Chicago, who were coming off of an impressive 41 point performance against the Colts, where their new offense acquisitions, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Michael Bush, had a combined 4 touchdowns, were shutdown by the Packers. 

Although the Pack definitely benefited from the Bears o-line struggles, specifically at left tackle with J'Marcus Webb, they proved that they have a very dynamic pass rush. Jay Cutler, who will likely see Clay Matthews in his nightmares for the next week, had no time in the pocket to survey the field for his receiving threats, and was constantly getting pressured and hit. Green Bay sacked Cutler 7 times, their most sacks in a game in 7 years, and Clay Matthews was all over the field and was credited with 3.5 sacks on Cutler, the most by a Packer since Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila had that many in 2005.

The Packers relentless pressure on Cutler forced the Bears QB to make several poor decisions, which led to 4 interceptions and allowed the Packers secondary to have their best performance in more than a year. Cutler never looked comfortable in the pocket, which really helped the Packers defense. Tramon Williams, who had 2 interceptions, held Brandon Marshall to 24 yards on 2 catches, which is just the third time in the last four and a half years that Marshall has not had at least 3 catches in a game. The Packers also limited the Bears to 4.1 yards per carry, as the Bears longest run of the game was a 12 yard QB scramble by Jay Cutler.

The Pack showed their ability to be one of the top defenses in the league and they will have a chance to follow up their terrific performance with another one next week when they take on the Seattle Seahawks and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson on Monday Night Football.

The SEC Will Finally Be Knocked Off Its Championship Pedestal This Year

The SEC has reigned supreme over college football for the past 6 years. As shown by Florida in 2006 and 2008, LSU in 2007, Alabama in 2009 and 2011, and Auburn in 2010, college football has been controlled by the Southeastern Conference, and quite frankly, no other league has been anywhere close.

In the 2006-2007 season for example, Ohio St. came into the National Championship Game with Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith at quarterback and a team that strolled through the Big Ten with an average margin of victory of more than 26 points in conference games. But the title game was never close, as Florida took the victory 41-14 and illustrated the disparity between the SEC and everybody else.

In fact, the SEC was so dominate last year that two teams from the league, LSU and Alabama, met in the National Championship Game, marking the first time since college football went to a national championship setup 20 years ago in 1992 that two teams from the same conference were playing for all the marbles.

With 5 SEC teams (Alabama at #2, LSU at #3, Georgia at #6, South Carolina at #9, and Arkansas at #10) ranked in the top 10 of the preseason AP poll, many people expect the SEC to make it 7 straight National Champions out of the conference. However, this is finally going to be the year that a team outside the Southeastern Conference walks away BCS National Champion.

A major reason that it will be tough for an SEC team to win the national title is because of the unprecedented depth of the conference. With the additions of Missouri to the SEC East and Texas A&M to the SEC West, the league is going to be ruthless week in and week out. Aside from Kentucky in the east and Ole Miss in the west, every team in the conference has a legitimate top 25 caliber squad. With at least 5 national championship contenders in the league, it is going to be very difficult for a team to run the gauntlet in the conference because of the demanding nature of every team's schedule. 

#9 South Carolina for example, has a brutal 5 game stretch during the season where they play #6 Georgia, followed by #3 LSU in the Bayou, then #23 Florida in the Swamp, and finally games against Tennessee and #10 Arkansas back home in Columbia. Yes that's right, the Gamecocks could conceivably play 3 top 10 teams in a 5-week span. Talk about tough sliding. 

Meanwhile, LSU, who lost in the National Championship Game to Alabama last year after beating the Crimson Tide during the regular season, have a daunting conference slate as well. The Tigers have a stretch in October and November where they take on #23 Florida in the Swamp, return home for a game against #9 South Carolina, then travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M and the 12th man, and finally return home to play a title game rematch against #2 Alabama. And oh yeah, they have to finish off the season in Fayetteville against #10 Arkansas. Even an LSU fan, who is used to having a difficult schedule, will realize that it will be very tough to finish the year undefeated.

While the SEC clubs will be knocking each other out of the title race, teams from other leagues will have much easier paths to Miami. For instance, #7 Florida St. has just one top 15 team on their entire schedule (Clemson) and 5 of their 8 conference games are against teams who didn't finish with a winning record last year (Wake Forest, Boston College, Miami, Duke, and Maryland).

Aside from just scheduling, most importantly, there are a lot of quality teams outside of the SEC, specifically Oklahoma and West Virginia from the Big 12, and USC and Oregon from the Pac-12.

There is no way around it, Oklahoma had a lackluster 2011 season. Despite being the preseason number 1, the Sooners finished the year ranked outside the top 15, as they lost to Texas Tech at home for the first time since 1996 and lost to Oklahoma St. by 34 points, the Cowboys biggest beat down of the Sooners in the Bedlam rivalry since 1945.

However, the #4 Sooners are going to have a chip on their shoulders after their massively disappointing season last year, and with a potent offense, they are a very dangerous team. Landry Jones, who will likely end up in the top 5 in college football history in both career yards and touchdowns, is as good as any quarterback in the country and he will lead a Sooners offense as dynamic as any in the nation.

The other Big 12 team that could cause some trouble and is a sleeper pick for the National Championship is #11 West Virginia, as the Mountaineers have an electrifying offensive attack. We all know that Dana Holgorsen loves to put points up on the board and there is little doubt in anybody's mind that the Big 12 newcomers will be able to do just that.

Geno Smith, who set the West Virginia passing yards record last year, has two of the best threats in the country on the outside of the field with Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin. Austin, who was one of just 8 receivers to catch 100 balls last season, is as quick as any receiver in the country and he and Smith form arguably the most lethal duo in all of college football.

Luckily for the Mountaineers, they get #22 Kansas St., #20 TCU, and #4 Oklahoma all at home in Morgantown.

Once Matt Barkley announced his decision to return to Southern Cal for his senior year, the Trojans were going to be one of the most popular picks, if not the most popular pick, to win the National Title. Although #1 USC do not have a lot of depth, as they are still feeling the ill effects of the NCAA sanctions placed on them in 2010, they have a majority of their starters returning on both sides of the ball.

Led by safety T.J. McDonald, the Trojans defense will be better than people expect it to be, but with all the star power on the offense end of the ball, the defense doesn't have to be Alabama-like.

With the addition of Penn St. transfer Silas Redd, USC will have a strong running game to go along with the best receiving core in college football, as Robert Woods and Marquise Lee are big-time playmakers on the outside of the field.

Few schools can lose their starting quarterback (Darron Thomas) as well as their all-time leading rusher (LaMichael James) and return the next season as a top 5 club, but that is exactly the position the #5 Oregon Ducks are in, and they could very well be better than they were last season.

Marcus Mariota, who dazzled for the Ducks at their spring game, won the starting QB job over Bryan Bennett this summer, and the dual threat redshirt freshman is the perfect fit for the Ducks offense, as he can make plays with both his arm and his feet.

Although LaMichael James will no longer be in the backfield for the Ducks, Kenjon Barner is as good as a replacement as you will find in college football. Only three running backs in the FBS, who had as many carries as Barner, had more yards than the Oregon back, showing that with more rushing opportunities, Barner can run for a lot of yards.

Finally, the Ducks have the best home run hitter in all of college football with De'Anthony Thomas. The speedster can make a huge play any time he touches the ball with his electrifying quickness, as he showed in the Rose Bowl with his 91-yard touchdown run as well as his 64-yard touchdown run in his only two carries of the game.

Finally, the two SEC teams who are most likely to win the National Title, #2 Alabama and #3 LSU, have a lot of question marks.

Although Alabama will once again have a very solid defense, there is no way the Crimson Tide will be able to replace 6 defensive players, 3 of which were selected with the first 25 picks in the NFL draft, that easily. Not only are they going to miss key components of their secondary with cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and safety Mark Barron gone, but the Tide are going to struggle without linebackers Dont'a Hightower and Courtney Upshaw, as the Crimson depended on the ball-hawkers to make so many tackles and plays around the field.

LSU was hit with a serious blow to their championship dreams when Heisman Trophy candidate Tyrann Mathieu was kicked off the team due to his violation of the team's substance abuse policy. Anybody who watched LSU's season last year will tell you that you can't underestimate the impact that Mathieu had on the Tigers run to the BCS title game. Although the Honey Badger was not even the best cover corner on the team last year, no player in the country made more game changing plays then Mathieu. With an offense that is not anywhere near as potent as others in college football, the Honey Badger made play after play either by forcing a turnover or returning a punt on special teams to keep LSU in games, and his absence will definitely be felt.

A lot of questions remain about this upcoming college football year, and I am as pumped as anybody for the season to begin. Although we will have to wait until January to see who is holding the Crystal Ball as the BCS National Champion, I think its fairly safe to assume one thing about the title winner; It will not be a team out of the Big East.

Why We Love The Olympics

While I was watching the United States battle Croatia in the quarterfinals of the men's water polo tournament, a thought came into my mind, "Why are people around the world so fond of the Olympics?"

Of course we enjoy watching the best in the world compete in sports that we see everyday on television, like tennis and basketball; but why do we drool and wait in anticipation over the results of the judo event or the archery competition? Why over a two and a half week period am I going on my phone every hour to see who won the most recent handball match? I began to think, "Would I ever dare skip out on going outside and enjoying the summer just to watch water polo if this were not the Olympics?" Nothing against water polo, and how much respect I have for the men and women who play that grueling sport, but the answer to that question is a definitive no!

Although it may seem that crazy fans like myself are the only ones that have this over the top obsession with the Olympics, the athletes who compete also feel an unparalleled passion for the games. In tennis, Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka competed in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, which is something that the top players never do, even at majors. Rafael Nadal said missing out on the Olympics was one of the saddest moments of his career. LeBron James, who finished his NBA season in late June, refused to take a summer break after his long playoff run because he wanted to play for Team USA. Tons of athletes have shown their love of the games by getting the Olympic rings tattooed on their body such as swimmers Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Matthew Grevers. What is it that makes the Olympics so different, so irresistible?

People love the Olympics because they do not occur every year. With anything in life, the less frequently something happens, the more interested people are going to be when something does happen. People are enamored by perfect games and no-hitters because they do not occur everyday; instead, they are truly rare feats. While an MLB player may have over 20 shots at a title, Olympians usually only have two or three chances at a gold medal. People are captivated by the aspect that Usain Bolt has one shot at the 100 meters, and if he comes up short, he will have to wait 4 years to get back on the globe's biggest stage. Unlike a player in the NFL or NBA, Bolt can't make a mistake and come back the next game, or the next season in hopes of a title. Olympians work tirelessly to get on top of the Olympic podium, but if they don't, it's a long four year journey to get another chance. Spectators and athletes love that intensity and that pressure.

Secondly, much like baseball stats, people love the sanctity of Olympic records. Not only are athletes competing against one another, but they are challenging sacred records that have stood for decades. David Rudisha of Kenya is trying to outlast his opponents in the 800 meters to claim gold, but he is also trying to make history and knock off Vebjorn Rodal's 16-year-old Olympic record in the event.

We also love the unique stories that the different competitors bring to the Olympics. Who will ever forget Oscar Pistorius's incredible journey just to get to the Olympics and his inspirational runs in the 400 meter qualification. Pistorius, who had to get both of his legs amputated when he was just 11 months old, had to endure a long struggle just to be able to compete in the 2012 Olympics, as many people felt that his prosthetic legs gave him an unfair advantage. However, Pistorius made it to London, and earned the respect and admiration of millions across the world. When Kirani James of Grenada, who would take gold in the 400 meters the next day, asked to exchanged name tags with Pistorius following their race in the semifinals, it was a scene that epitomized the uniqueness of the Olympics and was a special moment that only the Olympic spectacle could provide.

As fans, we always fall in love with the inspirational Olympic stories, but we also marvel over the Olympians who enter the games in relative obscurity and become a big name before the final flame is put out. Tiki Gelana, who was making her first ever major championship appearance in London, not only became the first women from Ethiopia to win Olympic gold since 1996, but she also broke the women's Olympic marathon record, which was set in 2000 by Naoko Takahashi of Japan. Although it was not quite the breakout on the level of Jeremy Lin, it was a classic example of an unknown Olympian coming into the global spotlight with a surprising victory.

The Olympics also provide so much drama because of all of the different nations that participate. There is nothing more intriguing than watching Iran and Israel, two nations that have so much hostility towards each other, enter the Olympic Parade of Nations almost one after another. All of the different nationalities and all of the different cultures together at the Olympics for a two and a half week period is a sight to see.

Finally, the most obvious reason we love the Olympics is because of the national pride. The Olympics means more about the country you represent than your individual achievements. Unlike Duke-North Carolina or Michigan-Ohio St., during the Olympics everybody comes together and shows their patriotism by cheering on the athletes from their country. People love to have a common rallying point and the Olympics provide that platform. There is no other sporting event where your entire nation is truly behind you quite like the Olympic Games.

A great example to show how captivated some people can get by the Olympics is to look at Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson, who rarely used twitter before the Olympics began, has taken over social media with his love and passion of the summer games. Jackson has twitted almost 250 times in the last 13 days and his commentary on the games has shown how enthusiastic people can get about the Olympics. I think I should investigate a new question: Who doesn't love the Olympics?

Mike Trout And Andrew McCutchen Are Running Away With The MVP Awards

Baseball is witnessing a shift in star power to a new generation of younger players. With guys like Chipper Jones, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki, Todd Helton, and Paul Konerko in their late 30's and early 40's, younger players are beginning to take over the game. Obviously, we aren't going to the extreme of saying "out with the old and in with the new", but we are definitely watching a transition of power to players like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, and Giancarlo Stanton. 

The change of baseball's star power to its youth is cementing itself this season, as two of baseball's youngest guns, Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen, are clear cut favorites for the major league MVP awards.

Mike Trout has turned the Angels around from a 6-14 start to a team that is sitting with the 3rd best record in the American League at 53-44. Andrew McCutchen is leading a Pirates team that is in position to make the postseason for the first time in franchise history since 1992. Not bad for a bunch of 20 year old kids.

Before we even look at Trout's incredible numbers and his unique 5-tool ability to be able to hit for average, hit for power, steal bases, field, and throw, it is important to look at Trout's impact on the Angels as a whole. The MVP goes to the player that is Most Valuable to his team, and since Trout was called up from triple-A, the Angels have done a complete 360.

The Halos, who were one of the favorites to win the World Series after they signed both Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson in the off-season, looked out of sorts in their first 20 games. Pujols, a 3-time MVP and 2-time World Series Champion, had a dismal start to the season and looked uncomfortable in Los Angeles with his new team. Before Mike Trout began to play every day on May 8th, Pujols was batting a woeful .197 with a .236 on-base percentage and he had just 1 home run through 29 games.

Since Trout came up to the big leagues, the Angels have looked like a different ball club, and Pujols has finally looked like the guy who signed a 254 million dollar contract with the team this off-season. Although it is rare to see, the 20-year old Trout has taken the pressure off of the 32-year old Pujols. With his .412 on-base percentage, which is the 3rd best in the AL, Trout has allowed Albert to hit with runners in scoring position, and he has relieved a ton of stress off of the 9-time All-Star's back, as Pujols no longer has to be the guy night after night for the Halos. In 67 games since May 8th, Pujols is batting .318 and has 17 home runs and 52 RBI's, to go along with a .391 on-base percentage.

Trout, who is so smooth that it is difficult to find a weakness when he is at the plate, has taken the American League by storm. The center fielder, whose .357 batting average leads the American League by 25 points over Joe Mauer, can hit any pitch against any pitcher during any count. Despite nearly missing the entire first month of baseball, Trout leads the MLB with 71 runs scored and is in the top 5 in both slugging and on-base plus slugging percentage.

People are so impressed with Trout's play because he can truly do it all. His 31 stolen bases lead the major leagues and his glove work has been so impressive, as evidenced by his incredible leaping catch against the Orioles to rob a J.J. Hardy home run earlier this season.

Mike Trout showing off his jumping ability by making one of the best plays of the year.

Prince Fish, as he is also called, is fortunate that no one else in the AL is having a monster season. Josh Hamilton, who began the first two months of the year with 21 home runs, 57 RBI's, and a .368 batting average, has cooled off dramatically since his first 47 games and is batting just .204 since the start of June. Miguel Cabrera, who is having another solid year with a .330 batting average and 23 home runs to go along with 79 RBI's, is the biggest contender to Trout's MVP chances.

Trout is likely going to be a landslide winner for the AL Rookie of the Year Award, so if he is able to walk away with the AL MVP, he would join Fred Lynn (1975) and Ichiro (2001) as just the third player to ever win the two awards in the same season. He would also be the youngest player to ever win the MVP, and the 3rd ever Angel to win the award joining Vladimir Guerreo (2004) and Don Baylor (1979).

Unlike Trout, who has taken a talented team and revitalized them with his spectacular play, Andrew McCutchen has put the Pirates on his back and brought them into playoff contention.

Although the Pirates are a solid team with a quality pitching staff led by James McDonald, A.J. Burnett, and Joel Hanrahan at the back end of the bullpen, they are no where near a 54-41 team without McCutchen. He was the main reason that the Bucs entered the All-Star break in first place of the NL Central for the first time in 15 years since 1997.

Aside from McCutchen, Neil Walker is the only every day Pirate player that is batting above .265, and the fact that the Pirates don't have a lot of good hitters around McCutchen makes it even more impressive to see what the young outfielder is doing this season. To put in perspective how heavily the Bucs relay on the 2-time All-Star, Andrew leads the team in runs, hits, batting average, triples, home runs, runs batted in, total bases, extra base hits, stolen bases, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging percentage.

McCutchen leads the league with a .373 batting average, which is on pace to become the best average in a single season since Tony Gwynn hit .394 in 1994 with the San Diego Padres. Clutch, as he is often called, also leads the MLB with a .642 slugging percentage and a 1.071 OPS.

McCutchen has solidified his hold on the MVP award with his ability to keep the Pirates in playoff position. In the Buccos last 31 games since June 16 the team is 22-9, and in this span McCutchen is batting .464 with a 1.330 OPS and he had a 6 games stretch where he hit 6 home runs in the middle of July.

Like Trout, McCutchen doesn't have too much competition for the MVP award. The player that looked like he would pose the biggest threat to McCutchen's chances of becoming the first Pirate to win MVP since Barry Bonds in 1992 was Joey Votto. However, the Reds slugger had to be sidelined earlier this month due to knee surgery and he will be out for at least a month.

It would be very historic if McCutchen won the MVP award. He would be the 2nd youngest player to win the NL MVP award in the last 27 years since 1985. Clutch would join Pirate greats Paul Waner, Dick Groat, Roberto Clemente, Dave Parker, Willie Stargell, and Barry Bonds as an NL MVP award winner.

McCutchen has shown he can do anything on a baseball field. Can he give an MVP speech though? At this rate, we will get a chance to see.

Olympic Soccer Means A Lot To Brazil

Although fans from Italy, Spain, Germany, and Argentina may disagree, Brazil is the most storied and successful international football team of all-time. With their quick and deceptive foot-skills, the Brazilians have been a powerhouse in international football for decades, as their 5 World Cups are more than any other nation.

Despite the fact that Brazil has historically been the most feared and dominate international football team, their results have not been great in recent years.

The Brazilians lost to France in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup and fell once again in the same round in South Africa to the Dutch with former captain Dunga at the helm. Under current boss Mano Menezes, the green and yellow have not feared much better, as the side lost in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Copa America to Paraguay (their earliest exit from the tournament since 2001).

Brazil's poor results have led to mounting pressure on the team to perform well in the Olympics, especially with the upcoming 2014 World Cup taking place in their home country. Although the Brazilians are dying to take home gold in the Olympics, as it is the only international football tournament that they have never won, the Olympics are even more crucial for the green and yellow because of the huge competition that will be taking place in their country in two years time.

Due to the fact that players under the age of 23 except for three over age exceptions are the only ones that are allowed to participate in Olympic soccer, the competition is not often seen as all too significant. Since most national teams don't rely on too many younger players for their senior squad, the Olympics may not look like a huge barometer for the progress of a national team.

For example, aside from left back Jordi Alba, Spain's entire Euro 2012 championship team will be over the age of 23 by the end of this calendar year. Also, just two players on Uruguay's 2011 Copa America championship team were under the age of 23 at the time of the competition.

But things are much different when you look at Brazil, as the national team is undergoing a youth movement. Brazil has made a transition from the days of Ronaldinho to what the future holds for younger stars like Neymar.

Brazil's 2010 World Cup roster was highly criticized for not including enough youth and quickness. Dunga's squad of players such as Juan, Gilberto Melo, Felipe Melo, Gilberto Silva, and Luis Fabiano has been completely changed in favor of younger talent such as Rafael, Marcelo, Sandro, Lucas Moura, Oscar, Ganso, Hulk, Neymar, Alexandre Pato, and Leandro Damiao.

It is almost unfathomable to think that Brazil can have so much talent that is so young in age. European clubs are dying for all of these young Brazilian stars, which shows how much talent these youngsters possess.

Manchester United is strongly interested in 19-year old midfielder Lucas Moura, as the Red Devils are willing to pay his club Sao Paulo 30 million euros for his services. Attacking midfielder and classic number 10 Oscar, who is just 20 years old, is being linked to Chelsea in a 25 million euro transfer from Internacional. Brazilian winger Hulk has been linked to a move to Chelsea for over a year for a transfer fee around 40 to 50 million euros. Leandro Damiao, a talented striker for Brazil, has been a target of Tottenham, who are willing to give Internacional about 15 million euros for the 22 year old. Finally, if a team were to try and swoop Neymar, who Pele has said is better than Lionel Messi, they would have to offer around 70 to 80 million euros for the gifted striker.

Since most of Brazil's Olympic squad is going to be competing in the 2014 World Cup, it is vital that they take home gold in the competition. Considering that their talent level is head and heals ahead of the other teams in the competition, anything less then a gold medal will be a complete failure.

Not that Brazil need any help, but their group looks pretty promising, as they should have no trouble with Egypt, Belarus, and New Zealand.

But the competition will not be a cakewalk for the green and yellow. If there are no major upsets, the Brazilians will likely meet Great Britain or Uruguay in the semifinals and then square off against Spain, which won the 2011 U-21 European Championship, in the finals.

Although Britain's senior squad has been disappointing for decades, their Olympic roster actually looks quite strong and they will also have the added boost of playing in their home country. With a strong midfield with Aaron Ramsey and Tom Cleverley and speed on the wings and up front with Scott Sinclair and Daniel Sturridge, the question for the British will be how their back line holds up.

Uruguay's squad, which qualified for the Olympics by edging out Argentina in the 2011 South American Youth Championship, is dangerous as well. Their outstanding striker duo of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez will be a threat for every team they take on.

Finally, Spain are a difficult opponent in any football competition that they are in. Their three over age players, Javi Martinez, Juan Mata, and Adrian Lopez, will likely provide support for their talented squad including midfielders Isco and Oriol Romeu as well as talented winger from Athletic Bilbao Iker Muniain.

After silver medals in 1984 and 1988 and bronze medals in 1996 and 2008, Brazil look poised to finally capture the elusive Olympic soccer gold. Anything less than a victory will likely cause Mano Menezes his job, especially considering how good this Brazilian Olympic team should be.

My American League All-Star Ballot

With the MLB All-Star Game just over 2 weeks away, it's time that we start to look at what the All-Star starting line-up should look like for the American League. The AL should have some nice fan support at the Midsummer Classic, as the game is being held in Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium, which recently had a large scale renovation and was thereby promised the All-Star game by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

In the 82 MLB All-Star games played since 1933, the AL has a losing record of 38-42-2. However, the American League has been dominate in the game in the past 24 years. Since 1988, the AL has had a record of 18-5-1 in the game and they were unbeaten in the Midsummer Classic from 1997 to 2009. Here are my selections from the American League All-Star team:

AL Catching Front-Runner: A.J. Pierzynski of the Chicago White Sox

AL Catching Contenders: Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins, Mike Napoli of the Texas Rangers

With none of the American League catchers having great seasons, A.J. Pierzynski is a solid choice to represent the AL behind the plate on July 10th. The 14-year veteran catcher has shown how effective he can be at the dish when he remains healthy and off the DL. Pierzynski, who leads all MLB catchers with 41 RBI's, has been one of the main cogs in the middle of the White Sox line-up and is a big reason that the team is 7th in the MLB in run scoring.

In all offensive categories, Pierzynski is having a career year. He already has 12 home runs, which is tied for the 2nd most amongst MLB catchers, and he is on pace to smash his previous season home run high, which he set in 2005 when he hit 18 long balls with the White Sox. A.J. is also 2nd in the MLB amongst catchers in slugging percentage at .493, which is 29 points higher than his previous season best mark in the category, which he set in 2003 with the Minnesota Twins when he had a slugging percentage of .464.

As always, A.J. has been very good defensively for the South Chicago team as well. He has started in 59 of the White Sox 73 games and has made just 2 errors all season, which is tied for the fewest amongst AL catchers. 

Joe Mauer is also having a pretty good season behind the plate with the Minnesota Twins but his power numbers are way down this year. Although Mauer is batting an impressive .323, he has hit just 3 home runs all season, which is tied for the 2nd least amongst the 21 MLB catchers that have had at least 150 at-bats on the year.

It has been the opposite story for Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli. Although Napoli has hit 12 home runs, he leads all MLB catchers with 74 strikeouts and his average, which was a career high .320 last year, has dipped way down to .245.

Pierzynski is obviously not a run away chose to start the All-Star game, but his production has been good enough to get a nod for the AL. If Pierzynski is selected for the All-Star game, it would be his 3rd appearance (2002, 2006). It would be Mauer's 5th All-Star Game appearance (2006, 2008-2010) if he were picked for the AL. If Napoli is selected to the prestigious game, it would be his first Midsummer Classic.

AL First Base Front-Runner: Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox
AL First Base Contender: Prince Fielder of the Detroit Tigers

After finishing 4 games under .500 last season, the Chicago White Sox should be well represented in this year's All-Star game. Like the aging A.J. Pierzynski, Paul Konerko is on pace to have the best year of his career in his 16th year in the league.

Konerko, whose .337 batting average is the 2nd best in the American League, has shown that he is not yet out of his prime. In an age with a ton of quality AL first basemen like Albert Pujols, Mark Teixeira, Justin Morneau, Adrian Gonzelez, and Prince Fielder, the 36-year old Konerko is showing no signs of slowing down. The White Sox slugger is 2nd in the AL with a .415 on base percentage and his .979 OPS is the 4th best in the AL. Despite the fact that Konerko has had fewer at-bats than most other first basemen due to the fact that he needs some more rests than younger guys like Pujols and Gonzalez, who both have had more than 280 at-bats compared to Konerko's 243, the White Sox captain leads all AL first basemen in home runs with 13.

Although Mark Teixeira has his batting average up 6 points from when it was .248 last season, the only other real threat for the AL first base spot is Prince Fielder. Fielder, who signed a 9-year, 214 million dollar contract with the Tigers during the off-season, is having another very impressive year. He leads all AL first basemen in RBI's with 46 and is the only first basemen other than Konerko in the AL that is batting above .300. It is really splitting hairs between selecting Konerko and Fielder for the first base spot in the All-Star Game.

Konerko, who is having another great season, has been an underrated star ever since he came to the White Sox 13 years ago in 1999, but his really impressive season this year should not go without an All-Star Game nod. If Konerko is selected as an All-Star, it would be his 6th appearance in the Midsummer Classic (2002, 2005-2006, 2010-2011) and his 3rd straight year appearing in the game. Prince Fielder is aiming to make his 4th All-Star Game appearance (2007, 2009, 2011) and his 1st representing the American League.

AL Second Base Front-Runner: Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees
AL Second Base Contenders: Jason Kipnis of the Cleveland Indians

As a Red Sox fan, the guy that I have feared the most in the Yankee line-up for years has been the smooth left handed swinging Robinson Cano. Although Cano has really struggled this year in terms of driving guys in with runners in scoring position, he is still hitting for a lot of power. Cano, who has hit at least 25 home runs for the past three seasons, has been using the long ball to pace the Yankee offense. Cano leads all second basemen with 17 home runs and his 40 extra base hits are the 2nd most in the MLB. Although Cano has had so much success with the long ball, which has always impressed me about him is that he still gets on base a lot and he is not a big hit or miss guy. Cano leads all AL second basemen with a .302 batting average and his .369 on base percentage is also the best among AL second basemen.

Jason Kipnis, the Indians 2010 Minor League Player of the Year, is not yet a household commodity, but the everyday Indians second baseman has been very good this year. Although Cano is having another solid year, the Indians youngster should not be overlooked. Kipnis leads all AL second basemen with 42 RBI's and he has also cased havoc on the base paths, as he has stolen 17 bases and only been caught stealing one.

If Cano is selected to the All-Star Game, it would be his 4th All-Star appearance (2006, 2010-2011) and the 3rd straight year that he would be starting at 2nd base for the AL. Kipnis is aiming to become the first Indians second basemen to appear in the All-Star game since Ronnie Belliard participated in the 2004 Midsummer Classic.

AL Shortstop Front-Runner: Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers
AL Shortstop Contender: Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, Asdrubal Cabrera of the Cleveland Indians

Don't get me wrong, Derek Jeter has been unbelievable this season for the Bronx Bombers. The 38-year old shortstop, who batted .270 in 2010 and hit just 6 home runs last season, both of which were the lowest of his career (not including 1995 when he played just 15 games), has turned it around in his 18th year in the league. The Yankee captain leads all MLB shortstops with a .304 average and leads the entire American League with 93 hits.

Although the beloved Jeter is probably going to get the most votes of any AL shortstop, Elvis Andrus  deserves to start the game at short for the American League. The Texas Rangers offense has been the most dominate attack in baseball, as the team leads the league in run scoring (388), hits (732), average (.282), on base percentage (.343), slugging percentage (.456), and on base plus slugging percentage (.800). Much of the attention surrounding the Rangers line-up goes to the middle of their order, where Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, and Mike Napoli are all big time power hitters.

However, Elvis Andrus should get a ton of credit for the Rangers offensive explosion this year because game after game he is the table setter for the teams big bats. Andrus is 1 of only 4 shortstops that is batting at least .300 and he has the 2nd highest on base percentage among middle infielders. Andrus has constantly been getting on base for the Rangers and he is a big reason for their offensive success.

We can't go through the American League shortstops without mentioning Asdrubal Cabrera. The Cleveland Indians young star, who emerged last year after 4 straight mediocre seasons, is showing once again this year why he is the next up and coming shortstop. Cabrera leads all AL shortstops with a .486 slugging percentage and a .869 on base plus slugging percentage. Despite being a shortstop, Cabrera can hit for power and he has shown that once again this year.

Andrus is looking to make his second All-Star appearance (2010) and Cabrera is attempting to appear in his 2nd straight Midsummer Classic (2011). If Derek Jeter, an All-Star regular, is selected to the game, he would be making his 13th All-Star appearance (1998-2002, 2004, 2006-2011) and his 6th straight.

AL Third Base Front-Runner: Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers
AL Third Base Contender: Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, Mark Trumbo of the Los Angeles Angels

Of all the choices for the American League All-Star starters, the decision between Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, and Mark Trumbo at third base is by fair the toughest. To look at the pure numbers that these three guys have put up so far this year is incredible. Beltre is 3rd in the AL with a .328 batting average, while Trumbo ranks 6th in the AL with a .316 average. Miguel Cabrera is no slouch either, as he is the only other AL 3rd basemen batting over .300. Cabrera is 2nd in the league with 59 RBI's, while Trumbo and Beltre are the only other MLB 3rd basemen with at least 46 RBI's.

Cabrera, who has batted at least. 290 with at least 25 home runs and 100 RBI's in his last 8 seasons, is once again on pace for another fabulous season with those type of numbers. The Tigers slugger, who has finished in the top 5 of MVP voting 5 times since 2005, has made the transition over to third base much better than people expected as well. His .963 fielding percentage is the best among all AL third basemen. Despite the fact that Trumbo has been getting most of his starts for the Angels in the outfield at right or left field, he is qualified on the All-Star ballot as a third basemen.

Although Cabrera and Trumbo are having phenomenal years, Beltre should have the slightest of edges to start at third base for the American League. Along with Josh Hamilton, Beltre has been the biggest threat on the best line-up in the majors. The three-time Gold Glover and three-time Silver Slugger is killing right handed pitching, as he is batting .361 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI's against righties.

If Beltre is selected to the All-Star Game, he would be playing in the Midsummer Classic for a third straight time (2010-2011). Miguel Cabrera is hoping to make his 7th All-Star Game (2004-2007, 2010-2011) and his 3rd straight. Trumbo is looking to make his first ever All-Star appearance.

AL Outfield Front-Runners: Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles, Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays
AL Outfield Contenders: Josh Reddick of the Oakland Athletics, Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees, Josh Willingham of the Minnesota Twins

The easiest choice in the entire All-Star Game is selecting Josh Hamilton as one of the three outfielders for the American League. Hamilton, who has received over 7.3 million votes, which is already just shy of the record for the most votes for a player in a single year that was set by Jose Bautista last year, has been on a torrid pace this year.

Hamilton is tied for 2nd in the league with 23 home runs and leads the MLB with 66 RBI's and that includes an 8 game stretch in May where he hit 9 home runs and had 19 RBI's. With his unbelievably light hands, Josh has been able to maintain the 5th best average in the AL at .318. Although Hamilton has cooled off a little bit in the month of June, his slugging percentage is still tremendously high as he leads the league in the category. If Hamilton keeps up his pace, he would become just the 10th player in the last 10 years since 2003 to have a single-season slugging percentage of at least. 650.

The other two choices for the outfield spots were obviously much harder to pick, but the slight nods should go to Adam Jones and Jose Bautista.

In an offense that doesn't really have a lot of weapons, Adam Jones has been one of the most consistent contributors in the entire American League, as he is batting .300, has hit 19 home runs, and has driven in 40 runs. Jones, whose 6-year, 85.5 million dollar contract extension was the largest in Orioles history, is on pace to become the 2nd Orioles player and first since Frank Robinson in 1966 to hit at least 40 home runs and bat at least .300 in a season.

After two straight years of 40 plus home runs and 100 plus RBI's, Jose Bautista began the 2012 season very slowly. His numbers at the end of April were a .181 batting average to go along with just 3 home run and 10 RBI's.

However, since his early season slump, Joey Bats has returned to his normal power hitting self. Bautista has hit 12 home runs in his last 21 games in June and he now leads the league with 24 long balls and is in top three with 57 RBI's. Although Bautista is obviously a big time power guy, he  has stuck out just 49 times, while other power hitters like Curtis Granderson, Nelson Cruz, and Josh Willingham have all stuck out at least 69 times. In fact, Bautista has batted above .255 in the last two months and has gotten his average up to a little under .240.

The other three guys that I think are in the mix for the outfield spots, Reddick, Granderson, and Willingham, have all had solid years, but none of them have been up to the standard of Hamilton, Jones, and Bautista.

After being a part-time outfielder last year with the Boston Red Sox, Josh Reddick has been a really nice pleasant surprise for the Oakland A's. Reddick, who has already had more at-bats this season than he did all of last year, is showing big time power, as he has hit 17 home runs including a 21 game stretch in May when he hit 10 long balls. However, Reddick's 70 strikeouts are the 3rd most in the AL and his .344 on base percentage doesn't even rank inside the top 60 in the league.

Although Curtis Granderson is just 6-1 and 185 pounds, his numbers look like that of a typical power hitter. The Grandy Man is in the top 4 in the league in home runs with 21 and his isolated power ranks 10th in the AL, but his batting average is just .243 including .230 against right-handed pitchers.

Finally, Josh Willingham, who has hit at least 20 home runs 4 times in the last 6 years, has shown his power once again this season, and he is also getting on base much more often this year. Willingham, like Adam Jones, has been really consistent across the board, as he is batting .275 to go along with 15 home runs and 49 RBI's.

Josh Hamilton is vying to make his 5th straight All-Star Game (2008-2011), while Jose Bautista is trying to appear in his 3rd straight Midsummer Classic (2010-2011). Adam Jones hopes to make his 2nd All-Star Game (2009) and become the first Orioles outfielder since Brady Anderson (1992, 1996-1997) to appear multiple times in the prestigious game.

If Curtis Granderson is selected to the game, he would be making his 3rd All-Star appearance (2009, 2011). Josh Reddick and Josh Willingham are both vying to appear in their first ever Midsummer Classic. If Reddick is selected to the game, he would be the first A's All-Star outfielder in 14 years since Ben Grieve in 1998.

AL Designated Hitter Front-Runner: David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox
AL Designated Hitter Contender: Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays

Remember back in 2008 and 2009 when David Ortiz began both years awfully slowly and people left and right were wondering if the Red Sox slugger's career was coming to an end? Well, that seems like a distant memory now because Big Papi is on pace to have one of the best years of his career in his 16th year in the league at the age of 36.

The Sox designated hitter ranks in the top 3 in the league in runs scored, 6th in the AL with 20 home runs, 8th in the AL with 52 RBI's, 5th in the AL in OBS, 3rd in the league in slugging, and 4th in the MLB in OPS. Ortiz doesn't look like he is slowing down anytime soon and he has been the only consistent bat in a line-up without Jacoby Ellisbury and Carl Crawford due to injury and where perennial All-Stars Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez have mightily struggled. Papi is seeing the ball so well right now and he is hitting anything in the strike zone. Ortiz is now just 2 long balls away from 400 home runs, and if he continues his current pace, he will become the first Red Sox to ever hit 40 home runs after the age of 36.

Although Ortiz should definitely get the nod at the DH spot for the AL, Edwin Encarnacion's impressive season should not go without notice. Encarnacion, who could not play another game for the rest of the year and still have the best numbers of his entire 8-year career, has been on a tare up in Toronto. The Blue Jays DH is in the top 4 in the league with 21 home runs and he has accounted for 51 RBI's. His .575 slugging percentage is the 4th best in the AL as well.

Ortiz is looking to make his 8th All-Star game at the DH position for the AL (2004-2008, 2010-2011). If Encarnacion is selected to the Midsummer Classic, he would become the 4th ever Blue Jay to appear in the prestigious game as a DH joining Paul Molitor (1993-1994) and Shea Hillenbrand (2005).

The Host Nations Of Poland And Ukraine Haved Fared Well So Far In Euro 2012

The 14th European Championship is off and running, and the storylines surrounding the host nations through the first week of the tournament have been very intriguing. We have seen some lovely goals from Poland like Jakub Blasczykowski left footed rocket shot against Russia and the Ukrainian wingers, Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko, have taken the world by storm with their fantastic pace on the wing.

Coming into the European Championships, there was no real sense of how the host nations of Poland and Ukraine would fare in the tournament. Neither nation is a football powerhouse, and since they both qualified automatically, their only tune-ups for the competition were some friendlies, and it is always difficult to gage a team's performance based on those matches. With every team in the tournament ranked in the top 16 in Europe, the road looked like a very trickery one for the host nations.

Although it is nice to have the support from your home fans when hosting a competition, it is sometimes difficult to deal with the pressure from trying to perform in your home country. In the 2000 European Championships, Belgium was unable to make it to the knockout round. In Euro 2008, both Austria and Switzerland failed to make it out of the group stage.

However, both Poland and Ukraine have started off the tournament in fine fashion. Both nations have put themselves in a position where they could possibly advance onto the knockout stage, which is more than their fans could ask for.

In Poland's opening match against Greece, the Poles backup goalkeeper, Przemyslaw Tyton, made a diving save to his left on a penalty kick from to prevent the host nation from walking away with a terrible defeat. A loss would have been very disappointing for the Poles, as they played a very quality game and Greece were playing down a man after Sokratis Papastathopoulos picked up a red card right before halftime. However, the Poles almost blew the game when their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off after fouling Dimitris Salpingidis in the box on a goal scoring opportunity. However, the crisis was averted with Tyton's save and Poland managed to pick up the draw.

Przemyslaw Tyton's penalty save proved to be vital in Poland's draw against 2004 European Champion Greece

Poland knew that they would have to play an even better game against a really good and hot Russian team, and they did just that. Although Russia went into halftime a goal up, the Poles didn't fret and they got the goal that they so thoroughly deserved with a crack of a shot from Jakub Blasczykowski. Although Russia had a good share of the ball during the game, Poland were actually the side that had the majority of the chances. Russian keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev needed to make several saves in order to keep the game at a level draw.

Poland played Russia to a wildly entertaining 1-1 tie in Warsaw

With two points through two games, the Poles are in contention to make it out of the group stage for the first time ever. In a muddled Group A, Poland is playing the Czech Republic in a must win game. If Poland can get a victory against the Czechs, they will be secured of at least a 2nd place finish in the group. If the Poles win and Russia losses to Greece, Poland would be atop the group at 5 points, while Russia, Greece, and the Czech Republic would all be sitting on 4 points. If the Poles win and Russia and Greece draw, Poland and Russia would both be sitting on 5 points each and group goal difference would ultimately determine which team would win the group and play the second place team from Group B in the quarterfinals.

Ukraine has also come out of the tournament gates very impressively. In their first ever European Championship as an independent nation (Ukraine was previously apart of the Soviet Union), Andriy Shevchenko led the side in front of their home fans in Kiev to an improbable 2-1 victory over Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sweden. After Andriy Yarmolenko's failure to get a header out of the box led to a Swedish goal, the 35-year-old Shevchenko gave the home fans a blast from the past with his two headed goals in the following 9 minutes. The victory was well deserved for the Ukrainians, as their speedy wingers, Konoplyanka and Yarmolenko, created chances all game long.

Andriy Shevchenko's double gave Ukraine an inspiring 2-1 victory over Sweden.

In their second game of the competition, Ukraine was due up against France, who had been one of the hottest teams in all of international football entering the tournament. The Ukrainians stuck right with Les Blues through the first 45 minutes, but the French, who had been playing very well since they fired Raymond Domenech after the 2010 World Cup debacle and hired Laurent Blanc, were too much for the host nation to handle. Although Ukraine walked away from the Donbass Arena with a defeat, they did have some very nice moments during the match.

Although Ukraine fell to France 2-0, they still have a chance to make it out of the group stage.

Despite their loss to the French, Ukraine still has a chance to advance onto the knockout stage, as they have a crucial game against 1996 semifinalist England in their third match of the group stage. A tie against England would not be enough for the Ukrainians to advance, even if France still losses to Sweden. In that scenario, England would be on 5 points, while France and Ukraine would both be sitting on 4 points, but France would own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Ukrainians and would secure second. However, if Ukraine is able to knock off England in Donetsk, they would guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals. In fact, Ukraine could top the group with a win and a France draw or loss to the already eliminated Swedish team.